Method for forming a closed cardboard container

ABSTRACT

A METHOD OF JOINING A CONTAINER, PARTICULARLY ONE MADE OF CARDBOARD, TO ITS LID, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR. THE LID IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN AND INSERTED INTO THE CONTAINER WITH LID FLANGES ENGAGING THE INSIDE CONTAINER WALLS. JOINING IS PREFERABLY EFFECTED BY FASTENING MEANS. THE APPARATUS INCLUDES A FRAME, A LIFTING TABLE, LOCKING DEVICES AND SEPARATING DEVICES.

Sept. 2l, 1971 H. oTTQ 3,606,724

METHOD FOR FORIIING A CLOSED CARDBOARD CONTAINER Filed Aug. 14, 1969 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Jogg/W (Q/ENTOR. @MWA/*ff ldd/y/ sept. 2l, 1971 H, OTTO v3,606,724

METHOD FOR FORMING A CLOSED CARDBOARD vCONTAINER Filed Aug. 14, 1969 2sheets-sheet z Fi g.3

INVENTOR.

MVM Q @1MM :United States Patent O 3,606,724 METHOD FOR FORMING A CLOSEDCARDBOARD CONTAINER Hans Otto, Hamburg-Grosstlottbek, Stockkamp 2,Germany Filed Aug. 14, 1969, Ser. No. 850,173 Claims priority,application Germany, Aug. 16, 1968, P 17 86 091.2 Int. Cl. B65b 7/28U.S. Cl. 53-24 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method of joining acontainer, particularly one made of cardboard, to its lid, and apparatustherefor. The lid is turned upside down and inserted into the containerwith lid flanges engaging the inside container walls. Joining ispreferably effected by fastening means. The apparatus includes a frame,a lifting table, locking devices and separating devices.

The invention relates to a method of joining a container particularlyone made of cardboard, to its lid. Furthermore, the invention relates toan apparatus for practicing this method.

Containers of cardboard having a lid are used to ship a multitude ofgoods. The invention refers particularly to cardboard boxes of this typewhich are used for handling and shipping textiles, Without the inventionbeing restricted to such a type of usage.

As a rule, containers of this type are tied, after having a lid placedover them, by a cord, wire, hemp, or suitable material in such a mannerthat the lid is able to perfectly lock and hold the contents of thecontainer. With this type of tying of the containers, the expenditure ofwork, however, is rather large. The expenditure of work naturally isgreater the larger the number of the containers that has to be tied.

It is the object of the invention to vastly simplify the joining of thelid to the container so that with little machinery human effort can beeconomized to a considerable extent.

The object of the invention shall furthermore' be achieved in such amanner that the packaging and dispatching place of the businessconcerned can manage with a relatively small number of container sizesof this type.

According to the invention, the object is achieved in that the lid withits flange edge pointing toward the outside is moved as far into thecontainer as is required by the goods contained within the container,the lid ange pointing towards the outside is then connected to thecontainer walls and, finally, the parts of the container wallsprojecting over the lid lflange are removed.

In this way, the tying of the containers is entirely omitted.Furthermore, only a relatively small number of container sizes isrequired, the containers differing essentially from each other by theirbase surface sizes. The flange lid is then turned upside down andinserted as far into the container as is required by the respectivegoods, the projecting container edges being removed by separating cuts.

The invention will be preferably practiced in such a manner that the lidflange and the container wall are joined by driving in fastening meansperpendicularly to their surfaces. For this purpose, preferably staplesare used which are driven through the container wall and the lid flangein the usual manner.

A preferred apparatus for practicing the invention is characterized inthat the container is movably arranged with regard to a stationarylocking unit which includes a 3,606,724 Patented Sept. 2l, 1971 plungerfor supporting the lid, a plurality of locking devices for joining thelid ange to the container walls, and a separating device for separatingthe protruding lid wall portions. Appropriately, the container is lledwith the goods at one location, and then the lid is turned over andloosely inserted into the container. Then the container is conveyed bymeans of a transport mechanism to a lifting table (a lifting platform)which now moves the container with the turned down and inserted lidtoward the plunger of the locking device. The lifting height desired ineach case may be adjusted, for example, by means of stops orautomatically.

With such an arrangement it is desired that the actual locking devicesare arranged at rest together with the separating devices so that themachine may be constructed in an extremely simple manner.

For this, the locking devices are preferably arranged on the outside ofthe container within a frame enclosing the container. As has been statedabove, in a preferred embodiment the lid flange is joined to thecontainer wall by means of staples. In this connection, it isrecommendable to arrange the locking devices as staples (spike-drivers)driven by compressed air by means of which the Staplers may drivestaples into the lid flange and the container wall. Such Staplers arecharacterized in that they drive in the staples by means of a singlestroke. The anvil required in such an arrangement for receiving thereaction forces of the stapling is preferably provided in the stationaryplunger against which the flan-ge lid abuts.

The appended illustrations schematically show apparatus for practicingthe invention. The method will also be explained in more detail on thebasis of these illustrations wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-section, partly in elevational view, of anapparatus according to the invention;

FIGS. 2a and 2b are perspective views of the container including its lidupon commencement and at the end, respectively, of turning the lidupside down into the container; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the invention.

According to FIG. 1 the apparatus comprises a lifting table or liftingplatform 1 over which is arranged a frame 2. The lifting table 1 isiixed on a lifting rod 3 which is movable upwardly and downwardlytogether with the table, in a manner not 'shown here in detail. Theupward and the downward movement may be effected, for example, by meansof a hydraulic servomotor, A plunger 4 is attached to the frame 2 bymeans of a plunger rod 5 in the axis of the lifting table 1.

A multitude of locking devices 6 are provided within the frame. Thesedevices have particularly the form of compressed air staples orspike-drivers by means of which staples may be driven into the containerwall and the lid flange. On top of the locking devices i6 are providedseparating knives 7 which cooperate vwith counter knives 8 mounted onthe plunger 4. In order to better illustrate the invention, thethicknesses of the walls of the cardboard 9 and of the lid 10 are shownmuch thicker than in reality. FIG. l shows the positions of thecontainer rand the lid at a moment in which lid and container havealready been joined together and the protruding wall portions have beencut olf. In FIG. 2a the lid 11 having lid flanges 12 pointing towardsthe outside has been turned loosely upside down into the container 13.The filling is indicated by 14.

By now moving the container 13 with the lid 11 by means of the liftingtable 1 towards the plunger 14 the lid 11 is pressed or respectivelyturned down and inserted as far into the container 13 as required by thegoods 14 contained within the container 13. In the condition of FIG. 2b,the lid ange 12 is now joined to the container walls, particularly bymeans of staples driven by the compressed air Staplers or spike-drivers'6 shown in FIG. 1. The corresponding back stops or anvils are providedin the plunger 4. Then the protruding edges of the container walls arecut olf by means of the separating devices 7 and 8.

The design of the separating device naturally is fully optional.According to FIG. 3, the protruding lid flanges are cut by means of arotating band saw blade 16 running over rollers 17 and driven by meansnot shown in detail. The band saw blade may be reciprocated in thedirection perpendicular to the plane of the drawing of FIG. 3. The frame2 has here only been outlined. l

The drawings merely show embodiments which are suitable for a singlesize of container base surface. As a matter of principle, an apparatuscould be designed which can be utilized for several container basesurface sizes. In this case, particularly, the plunger 4 would bereplaceable. The locking devices 6 would also have to be arrangedmovably in the frame. The apparatus is, in fact, so simple that it ismore practical to provide this apparatus for one single container basesurface size only. If several container base surface sizes are used,separate apparatus having acorresponding base surface size are usuallyemployed.

I claim: 1. The method of forming a closed container having a heightdimension determined by the volume and degree of compression of thegoods confined therein formed by the removal of container materialwherein the container includes vertical side walls defining a conlinedspace. and

side Walls with the bottom wall disposed toward` the goods, relativelytranslating the lid and side walls in a vertical direction to the extentthat a desired degree of engagement between the lid and goods and adesired degree of compression of the goods is produced, stapling the lidflange to the side walls, and then sizing the container by severing thecontainer at a location uniformly spaced above the lid bottom wall abovethe location of the stapling of the lid to the side walls to removecontainer material and align the resultant side wall ends with theresultant ange outer upper end.

2. The method of forming a closed container as in claim 1 wherein saidsevering of said container comprises severing the container side. wallsin alignment with the lid flange outer upper end.

3. The method of forming a closed container as in claim 1 wherein saidsevering of said container comprises severing the lid flange inalignment with the side wall ends.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,487,604 l/1970 Sullivan 53-29r2,703,952 3/1955 Perriguey 53--287 2,814,240 11/1957 Kuehler et al.93-55.1(M) 2,696,612 12/1954 Rickus 93-55.1(M) 3,191,474 6/1965 Grevichet al. 53--372 2,681,758 6/1954 Lipson 53--367X 2,747,350 5/1956 Cargillet al 53-124(A) 3,015,197 1/1962 Eichorn 53-208 3,541,752 11/1970 Ness53-124(A)X FOREIGN PATENTS 169,469 9/1921 England 53-24F d THERON E.coNDoN, Primary Examiner H. M. CULVER, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.53-38, 124A

